William Mickel, 69, of Lake Hopatcong, was originally arrested by local authorities on child porn charges, but the FBI assumed jurisdiction and gathered evidence that led to an indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Newark.
A judge there ordered on Thursday, May 4, that Mickel remain in federal custody pending trial on one count each of distribution and possession of child pornography.
Mickel was employed by the Boy Scouts of America when he trafficked videos and still images of child sex abuse via email accounts while storing hundreds of files on electronic devices in his home, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said on Thursday.
Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI with making the case with "substantial assistance" from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Chester Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of Sellinger's Economic Crimes Unit in Newark is handling the case.
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